Newport

The City of Newport is examining two urban renewal plans. One is located near U.S. Highway 20 and 101 near Agate Beach. The other is by the Port of Newport in the McClain Point area. Part of the plan includes providing resources to business owners and residences affected by any changes. Community Development Director Derrick Tokos says community feedback so far has been centered on the City's role in economic development.

Well known Newport resident, John Crowe, who was featured in the documentary film Blackfish, died early this week.

After a long career as professional diver for clients as varied as Jacque Cousteau and the federal government, Deep Sea John, settled in Newport, Oregon, where he has become a well-known figure, according to Philomena O'Brien, owner of Nana's Irish Pub where Crowe was a regular.

O'Brien: "He's like a sea-faring gentleman, you know, with the long hair and the many tattoos and kind of a burly looking guy."

Female inmates at Lincoln County Jail in Newport are participating in yoga classes. Since the program began, the jail has seen a reduction in violent incidents and yoga classes are now being offered to male inmates.

A few years ago, Lincoln County Jail had to cut educational and time management programs after budget reductions. Inmate counselor Dennis Buckmaster began looking for programs the jail could facilitate and found the Prison Yoga Program taught in California.

In December 2014, a tropical sea turtle was discovered by a couple on a Washington Beach. The olive ridley turtle drifted over a thousand miles north from her native waters off the Mexican coast. Hypothermic, emaciated and near death, the reptile was transported to the Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport for rehabilitation. In February, the U.S. Coast Guard flew Solstice to SeaWorld San Diego. KLCC’s Corinne Boyer traveled to San Diego to see how Solstice was doing.

The Oregon Coast Aquarium in Newport adopted three harbor seals from California this winter. The aquarium wanted the younger mammals to join their older seal population.

Miller, Tater and Elvis are 19, 20 and 21 years old, which isn't very young for harbor seals, but the Newport Aquarium's oldest harbor seal is turning 40 this year. Spokeswoman Erin Paxton says the aquarium uses positive reinforcement to train their marine mammals which allows them to communicate with their trainers.

An olive ridley turtle now in Newport recovering from hypothermia will be moved to San Diego tomorrow (Tuesday).

The turtle was named “Solstice” because she was found on a northwest beach on December 21st. Erin Paxton is with the Oregon Coast Aquarium. She says the endangered animal was scheduled to recuperate there a little longer, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has ruled her healthy enough to travel. Paxton says this is good news:

Federal District Court Judge Michael McShane will hold a hearing Thursday in the Newport Fisherman’s Wives’ suit against the U.S. Coast Guard. As theCoast Guard air facility in Newport is scheduled to close Monday, the timing is tight.

Dungeness crab season has started in Oregon and more boats are heading into the Pacific from Newport’s Yaquina Bay. Kevin Greenwood is the Manager of the Port of Newport. He says many people are concerned about the increased response time if troubled vessels can’t get help from Newport’s rescue helicopter:

Newport's search and rescue Coast Guard air facility is scheduled to cease operations December 15th. Tuesday morning, four groups filed a lawsuit in Federal Court in Eugene to try to stop the closure.

In the lawsuit, the Newport Fishermen's Wives, along with the City of Newport, Lincoln County, and the Port of Newport allege the Coast Guard failed to follow the legal process required to decommission a facility. They claim the Coast Guard has not adequately assessed impacts to public and environmental safety. Ginny Goblirsch is with the Newport Fishermen's Wives.